Impact mining machine having conveyor extending on front and side

ABSTRACT

A mining or excavating machine comprises a carriage or selfpropelled vehicle having mounted on it an extensible and maneuverable boom which carries a pressure fluid operated impact tool for breaking down or excavating mineral or other material. The machine also includes a conveyor which is attached to the carriage or vehicle and has a portion which is positioned in front of the carriage or vehicle, so as to collect material mined or excavated by the impact tool, and a portion which extends rearwardly alongside the carriage or vehicle and is adapted to convey the collected material. A pressure fluid ram or rams may be provided for advancing, relatively to the carriage, the portion of the conveyor which is positioned in front of the carriage or vehicle so that said portion will pick-up or collect material on a mine floor ahead of the machine.

[ Dec. 17, 1974 IMPACT MINING MACHINE HAVING CONVEYOR EXTENDING ON FRONT AND SIDE [75] Inventor: Thomas Polland, Chorley, England [73] Assignee: Dobson Park Industries Limited,

Nottingham, Nottingshire, England [22] Filed: June 29, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 375,148

Weber 299/43 X 3,413,035 1l/l968 Lockwood 299/31 X Primary Examiner-Ernest R. Purser Attorney, Agent, or FirmBerman, Bishoff & Platt [5 7] ABSTRACT A mining or excavating machine comprises a carriage or self-propelled vehicle having mounted on it an extensible and maneuverable boom which carries a pressure fluid operated impact tool for breaking down or excavating mineral or other material. The machine also includes a conveyor which is attached to the carriage or vehicle and has a portion which is positioned in front of the carriage or vehicle, so as to collect material mined or excavated by the impact tool, and a portion which extends rearwardly alongside the carriage or vehicle and is adapted to convey the collected material. A pressure fluid ram or rams may be provided for advancing, relatively to the carriage, the portion of the conveyor which is positioned in front of the carriage or vehicle so that said portion will pick-up or collect material on a mine floor ahead of the machine.

7 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTED UEE] H974 sum 1 OF 2 PATENHD QED] 7 I974 SHEET 2 OF 2 This invention is for improvements in or relating to mining and excavating machines.

According to the present invention there is provided a mining or excavating machine comprising a carriage carrying or adapted to carry an elevated or elevatable mineral working tool and a conveyor attached to the carriage and having a portion which is positioned in front of the carriage and is adapted to collect material mined or excavated by the tool and a portion which extends rearwardly alongside the carriage and is adapted to convey the collected material.

Conveniently the machine includes a boom having an articulate mounting on the carriage and carrying or adapted to carry the mineral working tool. Preferably the boom is an extensible boom and has an articulate mounting on the carriage.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention the conveyor is a chain scraper conveyor having a series of articulated pans which extend across the front of the machine and then curve rearwardly, so as to extend alongside the machine, to terminate in a section which serves as an elevating conveyor for the mined or excavated material. Alternatively the conveyor forming part of the machine may discharge on to a separate elevating conveyor.

Conveniently advancing of the conveyor, relatively to the carriage, so that it will gather or collect material from, for example, a mine roadway floor, is effected by a hydraulic ram or rams connected between the carriage and the conveyor. Preferably at least one of these connections is in the form of a universal joint to allow the carriage some mobility relatively to the stationary conveyor.

Preferably the control means for the machine are located so that they can be operated from either side of the machine preferably, but not essentially, by a man standing on the floor or ground.

The mineral mining tool may be a hydraulically operated impact tool in which acushion or body of air or other gas is compressed hydraulically and then allowed to expand so as to impart a working stroke to the tool.

Conveniently the carriage is in the form of a selfpropelled vehicle, a particularly suitable propulsion means being a hydraulic device or devices or a hydraulic motor or motors.

Maneuvering of the boom and/or operation of the conveyor means is also conveniently effected by hydraulic devices or motors.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention the boom is mounted for angular adjustment about a vertical axis relatively to the carriage.

Conveniently the carriage is provided with means whereby it can be steered with or relative to the carriage.

Sprags or staking devices, which contact or penetrate the floor or ground, may be provided to brace the machine when the tool is in operation. The conveyor may be adapted for that purpose.

Dust suppression equipment may be provided in the vicinity of the mineral mining tool and other appropriate parts of the machine. Such dust suppression equipment may comprise water spray devices.

At least the rear part of the rearwardly extending portion of the conveyor may be arranged so that it can be slowed and/or elevated. and in One particular embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying semi-diagrammatic drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a mining machine, and

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the machine.

The machine shown on the drawings comprises a selfpropelled walking carriage or vehicle 10 which may be constructed as described in the specification of US. Pat. No. 3,754,790. The carriage includes a turntable movable angularly about a vertical axis. Mounted on the turntable, for universal movement, is an extensible boom 11. The turntable arrangement and extensible boom are conveniently constructed and arranged as described in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,484.

The self-propelled carriage or vehicle 10 instead of being a walking carriage or vehicle, may have endless tracks or wheels.

At its forward end the boom 11 has mounted on it, as described in the specification of US. Pat. No. 3,782,484, an impact tool 12. Conveniently this impact tool is constructed and arranged to operate as described in the specification of US. Pat. No. 3,800,664.

A scraper chain conveyor, of the articulated pan type commonly used as a face conveyor in a coalmine, extends across the front and along one side of the carriage 10, as indicated at 13 and 14 respectively, and terminates in the rearward section 15 which serves as an elevating conveyor and feeds material into, for example, a mine gate conveyor.

Hydraulic rams 16, which may be single or double acting, are connected between the carriage 10 and the section 13 of the conveyor which extends across the front of the machine. At least the connections 17 are in the form of universal joints to allow the carriage 10 some mobility relatively to the conveyor when the latter is stationary.

Hydraulic spacing rams 18 are connected between the carriage of the machine and the section 14 of the conveyor. The connections to the carriage are also in the form of universal joints. These hydraulic spacing rams may be adjustable so as to provide for adjustment of the conveyor relatively to the machine carriage.

A ramp 19 is provided on the front of the portion 13 of the conveyor which extends across the front of the machine, said ramp having a serrated forward edge 20.

Means may be provided for vibrating said ramp.

A side collecting device or plough 21 is provided to direct material from the side of the working into the path of the ramp 19.

When a mass of material has been mined or excavated by the impact tool 12 the rams 16 are extended so as to advance the ramp 19 into such material and lift and direct it into the conveyor section 13, following which it is discharged at the rear of the machine by the conveyor section 14. When the machine is advanced the rams 16 are collapsed or retracted ready, when required, to effect a further advance of the conveyor section 13 and the ramp 19 to pick up further material to be discharged at the rear of the machine.

The conveyor is provided with spill plates 22 to contain the fragmented material and prevent it encroaching on the area occupied by the carriage 10.

Controls 23 and 24 are provided whereby a man standing or walking alongside or behind the machine may control the operation thereof.

The spill plates 21 may be in sections which can readily be moved to provide access to the mineral face being worked.

Space is available at S for permanent roof supports.

The machine may be used in conjunction with a heading support constructed as described in the specification of British Pat. No. 1,291,436. Permanent roofbars may be set by a device on the machine instead of by the arms 45 (see FIG. 3) as described in that specification.

I claim:

I. A mining or excavating machine comprising a carriage, a turntable mounted on said carriage, an extensible boom pivotally mounted on said turntable so as to turn therewith and for raising and lowering movement relatively thereto, a mineral working tool mounted on said boom for manipulation thereby in relation to a mineral face to be worked, conveyor-pan-means having a first portion which extends across the front of the carriage and is mounted thereon by means which provide for advance movement of said first portion of the conveyor-pan-means relatively to the carriage, and a second portion which curves rearwardly, with respect to the carriage, from and as a continuation of said first portion and extends alongside the carriage. a scraperchain-conveyor having a single and centrally located chain positioned in and extending continuously along said first and second portions of the conveyor-panmeans, pressure fluid ram means, connected between the carriage and the first portion of the conveyor-panmeans, for effecting said advance movement of said first portion of the conveyor-pan-means, and collecting means on the front of the first portion of the conveyorpan-means for advance movement therewith there by to collect mined or excavated mineral from the front of the machine and directing it into said first portion of the conveyor-pan-means.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said collecting means is a ramp having a serrated forward edge.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein means is provided for vibrating said collecting means.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein a ploughlike device is positioned in the neighborhood of one end of the first portion of the conveyor-pan-means to direct mined or excavated material into the path of said collecting means.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pressure fluid ram means is connected between the carriage and said first portion of the conveyor-pan-means by universal joint means.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said conveyor-pan-means comprises a series of end-to-end pans articulated together.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein pressurefluid spacing rams are connected between the carriage and the second portion of the conveyor-pan-means to provide for adjustment of the conveyor-pan-means relatively to the machine carriage. 

1. A mining or excavating machine comprising a carriage, a turntable mounted on said carriage, an extensible boom pivotally mounted on said turntable so as to turn therewith and for raising and lowering movement relatively thereto, a mineral working tool mounted on said boom for manipulation thereby in relation to a mineral face to be worked, conveyor-pan-means having a first portion which extends across the front of the carriage and is mounted thereon by means which provide for advance movement of said first portion of the conveyor-pan-means relatively to the carriage, and a second portion which curves rearwardly, with respect to the carriage, from and as a continuation of said first portion and extends alongside the carriage, a scraper-chainconveyor having a single and centrally located chain positioned in and extending continuously along said first and second portions of the conveyor-pan-means, pressure fluid ram means, connected between the carriage and the first portion of the conveyor-pan-means, for effecting said advance movement of said first portion of the conveyor-pan-means, and collecting means on the front of the first portion of the conveyor-pan-means for advance movement therewith thereby to collect mined or excavated mineral from the front of the machine and directing it into said first portion of the conveyor-pan-means.
 2. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said collecting means is a ramp having a serrated forward edge.
 3. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein means is provided for vibrating said collecting means.
 4. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein a plough-like device is positioned in the neighborhood of one end of the first portion of the conveyor-pan-means to direct mined or excavated material into the path of said collecting means.
 5. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pressure fluid ram means is connected between the carriage and said first portion of the conveyor-pan-means by universal joint means.
 6. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said conveyor-pan-means comprises a series of end-to-end pans articulated together.
 7. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein pressure-fluid spacing rams are connected between the carriage and the second portion of the conveyor-pan-means to provide for adjustment of the conveyor-pan-means relatively to the machine carriage. 